Damon Hill tells Lewis Hamilton critic to ‘shut up’ after making George Russell comparison

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Lewis Hamilton ended a two-and-a-half-year victory drought by winning the British Grand Prix last weekend. Hamilton beat Max Verstappen and Lando Norris to triumph on home soil.

It was his ninth triumph at Silverstone – the most wins any driver has ever achieved at a single circuit. And it also extended his advantage at the top of the all-time list to 13 (104 vs 91 for Michael Schumacher).

Hamilton, now 39, became the first driver to win after completing his 300th Grand Prix. It had been 56 races since he last stood on the top step of the podium at the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP.

He’d started the race in second place after Mercedes teammate George Russell outpaced him in qualifying. However, he was able to execute a pass for the lead when the rain came down and Russell started to struggle.

Hamilton fell behind the McLaren duo of Norris and Oscar Piastri, who came alive in the changeable conditions, but got back ahead of both with smartly-timed pitstops. The task in the final stint was to hold off a charging Verstappen, and he did so fairly comfortably in the end.

Despite the haul of 25 points, he remains eighth in the championship. However, he’s now just a point behind Russell (who retired) and eight behind the Red Bull of Sergio Perez.

Damon Hill hits back at Lewis Hamilton critic after ‘GOAT’ claim

Hamilton has been enduring statistically the poorest season of his F1 career up to this point. He had to wait until round 10 in Barcelona to even score his first podium.

Russell has also consistently outperformed him and extended his qualifying advantage to 10-2 on Saturday. He was running fourth when he had to retire with a water system issue.

Writing on X after Sunday’s race, 1996 F1 world champion Damon Hill welcomed ‘the return of the GOAT’. However, one fan questioned the use of this moniker given Hamilton’s qualifying record against Russell.

Having been accused of ‘more British bias’, Hill simply replied, ‘Oh shut up!’

The former McLaren man is the most successful driver in the sport’s history, having racked up seven world titles, 104 poles and 199 podiums alongside his 104 wins. Even great rival Verstappen ranks Hamilton inside his all-time top five F1 drivers.

Sebastian Vettel sends message to Hamilton after British Grand Prix win

Hamilton’s victory has proved to be a popular one in the Formula 1 paddock. There was a time during the height of Mercedes’ dominance when it felt almost inevitable the Englishman would prevail, but that era is a distant memory.

Russell was magnanimous after Hamilton won, telling him he ‘deserved’ the win, while Norris also passed on his congratulations. Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel echoed Hill’s view that Hamilton is the GOAT.

The duo were fierce competitors from around 2010 until the final years of Vettel’s stint at Ferrari. Hamilton will follow in his footsteps by moving to Maranello next year.

Indeed, his impending departure only added to the visible emotions after the chequered flag. He claimed his first Silverstone win for Mercedes a full decade ago, and has added seven more since.